May the best spy win!
by RoseScor90
Summary: Seamus Finnegan returns home after a three year absence and the first person he meets happens also happens to be someone who intrigues him. Who could she really be? Does she have a secret, like him? R&R!


Disclaimer: Not JK…

A/n: Written for the "**Can You Write A Romance?' Challenge! COME COME COME!**" challenge. The pairing given was Seamus Finnegan/Romilda Vane.

It was late in the evening when Seamus Finnegan apparated into one of the alcoves in Diagon Alley. Ridding himself of the slight giddiness, he walked out and onto the road, watching as the sun made a beautiful picture painted in hues of reds, violets, blues and oranges as it set behind the village. Drawing his cloak tighter around his body, he made sure the hood was securely in place. He had no wish to be recognized within minutes of his entry into his homeland. With a longing sigh, Seamus thought of all the countries he had been to. All the time he had spent in the various wizarding communities of different countries of the world. They had been very welcoming and he had learnt far more than he could have in any classroom. But of course, what was it going to matter?

Noticing that people looked curiously at the stranger with the hood, he began walking faster, chuckling. People were nothing if not paranoid. Someone walks up the alley with their hood on, and they think he's evil incarnate. Cursing the mob mentality, he started towards his destination, the Leaky Cauldron, when he bumped into someone. The hood had been hiding his vision for a bit but since no one had tried coming before him, he had managed. It took him nothing more than a second to note that the person he had bumped into was a woman, atleast a foot shorter than him, with tumbling raven hair that reached past her waist. She had secured it with a clip, but a few errant strands constantly escaped its hold and swung front to hide her face like a wall.

She must have been holding a stack of papers, some of which had fallen down when he crashed into her. He bent down to help her, managing to collect many more papers than her since she was already holding a mound of them. As she lifted the last of the parchments from the floor, he stood and returned them to her. She looked up to thank him and froze for a second. Seamus smiled at her, seeing the shock on her face.

"You're…You're Seamus Finnegan, right?" she asked with obvious surprise and his eyebrows bunched. She remembered him this well?

"Yes, I am" he said, smiling at her again. Something about the expression in her charcoal black eyes made him smile, something he had forgotten to do a while back. It suddenly struck him that he had seen her somewhere. At Hogwarts, if he was going to be precise. Why did he remember her? While he was turning the wheels in his mind, she stood looking at his hand, which still held her papers. Deciding to lengthen the conversation until he could find out her identity, he began by asking, "Why are you carrying so many papers? You surely could have shrunk them?"

She merely shrugged in response and her disinterest irritated him. Here he was, speaking with her because he wanted to know who she was and she was acting as if he was nothing more interesting than a…a despised flavor of Bertie Botts every flavor bean!

_Bertie Botts?_ Why was he thinking that? And why was he suddenly reminded of chocolate on seeing…..Of course!

"May be I could help you, Miss Vane?" he suggested, an amused smile appearing on his face as he watched her face go into shock. He was sure that she hadn't expected him to remember her name. And he wouldn't have too, if it hadn't been for a wayward thought about chocolates.

"You…You know who I am?" she finally managed to get out of her shock but her voice was yet to recover fully.

"Why? Shouldn't I?" his voice was still amused. Did she think she wasn't worth knowing or something? In the nearly thirty years of his life, he had never encountered a person who thought themselves anything less than the Minister of Magic.

"It's not that you aren't supposed to but, I never thought anyone would. I tend to blend into the background and I like it there. So, I guess it was a shock that you recognized me" she explained, having gotten over her initial bafflement.

Her explanation only piqued his curiosity about her. He extended his hand to take the papers from her, and she reluctantly handed a part of it to him carefully. They began walking towards the Leaky Cauldron together, not even noticing that even more people were staring at them now. He first thought that they were staring at her. Afterall, she was a rather striking woman. When more eyes began landing on him, Seamus belatedly realized that his hood had fallen down when he had stooped to lift the papers. He tried to shrug away the discomfiture from all the stares he was receiving. He had been without all these pointed looks for so long that it was a bit difficult to manage. Even after almost a decade, people couldn't get enough of those who had fought against Lord Voldemort. The name came easily to him now that he had witnessed things far more terrifying than that.

Working in the International Magical Co-operation office was, in itself, a challenge not many would undertake willingly. Being a temporary ambassador cum spy was probably the most dangerous job the Ministry of Magic had to offer. Seamus had taken it eagerly, ready to get out of the country which had been his home since birth. His visits abroad had brought in help at a time of great need and the then Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt had awarded him with an Order of Merlin first class. But that hadn't mattered anything to him. He had seen the novelties the world offered to him and kept going away as much as he could. He was an invaluable asset to the Ministry now, something not many Ministry officials could boast about.

Seeing her intent stare, he lifted his eyebrow and asked, "Are you still surprised?"

May be I am. I dunno. I guess seeing you so suddenly has thrown me. So, where have you been for the last few years? I've never seen you at the anniversaries"

"I'm not at liberty to say where I have been and work's what has kept me away all these years. I wanted to attend this year since it's the ten year mark"

"So you'll be attending the informal party today too?" Seeing his eyebrows bunch together she said, "Oh, you don't know about it? Didn't anyone tell you?"

He shrugged dismissively. He was sure he'd have a bunch of invitations and angry howlers waiting at his apartment which was more a hotel room to him than a home. His friends weren't very accepting of the fact that they could only contact his empty apartment when they had news to relay.

"It's been a while since I've been here. Do you know where it is?"

"Of course! Seeing as I am going there, I suppose I could take you" she said, and a smile appeared on her face. It was not the kind of bright smile that would light up a room, but a subtle lift of her lips and a faint brightness in her eyes that showed her amusement as well as if she had laughed out loud. He smiled back at her absently, as his eyes looked forward to the door behind which he knew his friends were. It would take atleast five minutes to walk there and it did not even occur to Seamus that he was a wizard who could apparate. To him, a spy who could figure out a person's character with a minute of speaking with him, five minutes suddenly seemed to be too little a time to get to know the woman beside him.

"So, what do you do beside knock innocent people who walk by?" He mouth quirked into a smile and he could feel it reflect in him.

"I work at the Ministry. It's a desk job that is not very exciting" she replied and for the first time, Seamus paid attention to the papers in his hand.

"Are these your work papers?"

"Good heavens, no! This is a draft for Hermione's latest bill. You know she works for the rights of Magical Creatures, right?"

"Yeah, I do. I haven't been away that long. I did hear about the Werewolves and House elves rights Act"

"Yeah, that did receive a full house approval" she replied before continuing, "I drafted that too". He was sure she considered it her life's biggest achievement from the way she said it. He smiled at her fondly, realizing that he had lost the little joys in life. His had been a difficult job in the beginning, restraining himself from expressing to people the nature of his job. But it had now become second nature to him and he could think up a hundred different alibis if he needed to, but he had lost the joy of his work somewhere along the line, the way he was sure many people did. But she hadn't, and it made him even more interested. Their walk was coming to a halt, and he tried to think of a way to spend more time with her.

The anniversary would be the perfect opportunity. He'd normally have asked Lavender but somehow, he had an inkling that Dean wouldn't take kindly to Seamus asking his wife out. Seamus was sure his date will have to be in the spotlight, but he thought it'd do her some good to finally get noticed for her ingenuity and gentle charm.

"Will you go with me to the anniversary?" she stopped short at his sudden question and her eyes were twinkling with mischief.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you? First you appear out of nowhere after almost three years of no information on your where about. And then you talk to me as if I'm your long lost friend or something and then this! But I suppose I should get used to it if I'm going to be a renowned spy's date"

"Thank you" she turned to enter and it suddenly occurred to him that there was no way anyone less than a personal tracker could know those things about him. And they'd have to be a member of the wizengamot. And not everyone would be allowed to draft Ministry Bills either.

"Mis…Romilda? What sort of work is it that you do at the Ministry?"

"Oh, I just vote for the rights and wrongs of things. Welcome home Seamus. I can see Albania has done you good" she replied casually before disappearing in the throng of people inside, leaving a stunned Seamus behind.

_Who was the better spy now?_

A/n: Review!


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